‘They stepped through into darkness. Regret flung a flame to a brazier on the wall. The white bones of the Watcher remained where they’d bee the last time. Elissa crept closer. The skeleton was huge, almost twice as big as Hope’.

Gates of Sorrow is the second volume in J E Hannaford’s Aulirean Gates series, which began in Gates of Hope. The series is set on the three linked planets of Mythos, Lieus and Tebein, Once joined by a series of magical gates, the three worlds are now separated from each other, all three diminished by their isolation. But while the people of Lieus live smaller (better?) lives compared to their past magical greatness, the few remaining inhabitants of Tebein face daily threats to their very survival.

If you’re familiar with my writing, it might come as a surprise that I enjoyed it so much; it’s certainly very far from my usual world of tortured, blood-soaked total war (which is why I wanted to review it). But the book’s gentleness, its sense of hope, is what I enjoyed.

Most characters are fundamentally good people, living in a world that assumes kindness and respect for others as a default even in the most desperate circumstances. I certainly wouldn’t call it ‘cozy’: there are moments of horror, real anger when characters are forced to confront pain and suffering. Perhaps it’s epic fantasy hopepunk, dragons and magic in the aftermath of war and world-shaking calamity but grounded not in violence but in co-operation and the complex reality of our competing obligations to friends, family, community, the wider world. At its heart, it’s a book about the sorrow of a good society confronted by a more grimdark perspective and the joy of people responding with hope.

Gates of Hope introduced the series’ three main protagonists, gentle Darin, headstong Suriin and driven Elissa. Gates of Sorrow takes us more deeply into lives as they deal with the consequences of the decisions they made in the first book – and, as the title suggests, some of these consequences will lead to terrible suffering. All three characters are beautifully realised. Suriin is instantly familiar as a joyful, eager, reckless teenage girl, brought up in a loving home and finally confronted with the realisation that life can be painful and some things aren’t easily mended. Elissa is an inspiration – strong, caring, radiantly unbowed by the cruelty of her harsh life on Tebein. Her determination to help others shines from the book without being cloying or implausibly ‘good’. My favourite of the three, Darin, is the antithesis of so many epic fantasy heroes: a kind, unassuming young man with very little in the way of self-doubt or Conflicted Angry Destiny, eager to fight to protect those he cares about but also happy to step back and take a supporting role. More minor characters are nicely sketched in, and there’s some lovely LGBTQ+ representation.

It is the flora and especially the fauna of the worlds, however, that makes Gates of Sorrow special. Hannaford is a biologist by training and has a lifelong passion for animals and plants – and it shows. She describes the wildlife of Lieus and Tebein with real care and obvious love. There’s a scene at the beginning of the book where Elissa watches a clutch of miniature dragon eggs hatch that’s an absolute joy to read. Best of all are the moonhounds. As far as I’m concerned, the moonhounds are the best companion animals in SFF. Huge magical dogs who communicate with their bonded human via mental imagery (Darin sent [Star waiting quietly for Darin], Star sent [Star having a game with the clean washing while he waits for Darin]), the moonhounds are perfectly realised. They make me smile whenever I think about them (and I’m a cat person). And I’m now convinced this how dogs do communicate if we listen properly.

Gates of Sorrow isn’t a thrill a minute, ‘I couldn’t stop reading because I had to find out what happens next’ kind of book. It’s not filled with battle scenes and conflict – the action is fairly small scale; avoiding conflict unless absolutely necessary is a key theme of the book. It’s a book about people confronted by personal horror, sorrow, suffering, pain, and responding by finding the best in themselves and their world. Smelling the herbs in a dew-soaked garden. Cooking a shared meal. Walking out into the wild with a companionable dog.
An uplifting, quietly beautiful book.

Gates of Sorrow is available now – you can order your copy on Amazon.co.uk

Anna Smith Spark lives in London, UK. She loves grimdark and epic fantasy and historical military fiction. Anna has a BA in Classics, an MA in history and a PhD in English Literature. She has previously been published in the Fortean Times and the poetry website www.greatworks.org.uk. Previous jobs include petty bureaucrat, English teacher and fetish model.

Anna’s favourite authors and key influences are R. Scott Bakker, Steve Erikson, M. John Harrison, Ursula Le Guin, Mary Stewart and Mary Renault. She spent several years as an obsessive D&D player. She can often be spotted at sff conventions wearing very unusual shoes.